Internal combustion engine



Patented Sept. 26, 1933 Y Y 1,928,299 u c INTERNAL CoMBUs'r-ION ENGINE i `Clarke AC. M'inteneacon; N.

Application Novi-mier 11, 1931 seriarNo.- 574,243v

engines a's" ar'ef'de's'cribed in my Patent #1,741,032,

datedlpcefuerm, 1929. f r In" that' patent I d escribed an internal'com- Y busto'n engin'providedwith extensions or conloiktA reans projecting .from the cylinder head and from. theopposite face of the piston for accelerating" the reactions which occur inthe gaseous' phase in] the" charge upon compression .andignitin thereof, and without increasing the 'normal heatingeiect of the compression stroke on ,thecharge y A Genefrllyspeaki'ng, the present invention contemplates and has for an object to provide means `-for improving the 4operation of internal combustiofiengiV e'sof thetype described in myA Patent 911:141,932:V f, j ,y y The surface-contact means e'mployed ininternal combustion engines of this type may be in tlf metallic varies, nodes, protuberances or wires, and they are preferably arranged in or on the walls of the combustion chamber'in the Y region orvicinity of the spark plugs so as to form local hot spots and facilitate the burning of the portion of the charge first ignited. As these surface-contact means are located in the vicinity of the spark plugs they become excessively hot and the contained heat is quickly conveyed through them to the cylinder walls which normally are provided with a water jacket or ducts throughV which a cooling fluid is circulated. A large amount of heat thus passes from the combustion chamber and is absorbed and carried away by the fluid cooling medium.

I have found that the operation of engines of his type can be considerably improved by preventing the escape of too much heat from the combustion chamber in the immediate vicinity of the spark plug or plugs and accordingly, one

Y 5' of the objects of the present invention is to provide, in internal combustion engines of the type described, means for preventing or inhibiting the loss of excessive quantities of heat through the surface-contact means and cylinder walls, and,

50 to accomplish this beneficial result the invention4 contemplates the placing of insulating mediagor means between the surface-contact means and the cooling fluid in the water jacket or ducts.

A further object of the invention is toprovide 55 `means for Vretaining within the surface-contact means suflic'ient'heattopromote enicient combustion' Vinthe combustiondchamber.

-. flfhe'seand other objects,'features andadvantages of the invention willr'rore readily anbar as the following description taken 'in connection with kthe accompanying drawing proceeds@ r In'the drawing, Figure 1 is ajsectionaly plan view of ya portion ofa cylinder head of a single cylinder internalA combustionV engine of the L- headftype, and Figure 21s aview in vertical sectionl ofa portion'of the same' cylinder head. AIn thedrawing there'is shown a portion of a cylinder headflO 'ofl a; single lcylinder internal "combustion engine 'of the I -l'ie'a'd type. The head gis'4 adapted to be secured by bolts or otherwise to c the upper end of a cylinder blockll tolform a ,combustion chamber 12. The chamber 12 is provide'd'with suitable ports (notshown) to admit and carry away' lthe combustible mixture and exhaust gases", and these ports are controlled by 75 intake andexhaust vaivesjls and 14, respectively, which' function inra conventional manner and thel'forefne'd vnotb' described. Spark plug 415 'isY nounted in thecylinder head l0 in the usual o manner. r

The walls of the cylinder head 10 and vblock 11 are provided with holes or ducts 16 for the cir'- culaton of a fluid cooling medium, preferably water, in the customary manner. Water circulating through these holes or ducts removes heat conveyed from the combustion chamber 12 through the walls thereof and minimizes the danger of overheating the engine.

As described in my Patent #1,741,032, surface- Contact means in the form of metal pins or wires 1'7 are welded or otherwise secured to the cylinder vhead 10 in the vicinity of the spark plug 15. The

the fluid cooling medium is constantly circulat- 105 c ing. In fact,v I have found that under some operating conditions the loss of heat through the surface-contact means may be excessive and for that reason I have provided means for preventing or inhibiting the loss of excessive quantities of lo heat through the surface-contact means.

, cylinder head, in the vicinity of the spark plug 15. V

This result may be accomplished in any one of several ways. Under some circumstances it may be desirable to plug off certain of the holes or ducts 16 in the immediate vicinity of the spark plug l5 to preventthe circulation of the uid cooling medium therethrough. lUnder other circumstances it may be desirable to line that portion of the walls of the ducts or holes nearest the spark plug with a layer of a suitable heat insulating material such, for example, as vitreous enamel asshown at 18. Either of the two :fore-A going methods Would be possible with the existing type of cylinder block. However, the desired result can readily be accomplished by casting or drilling in the wall of the cylinder head 10 one or more auxiliary air spaces or chambers 19 between the holes or ducts 16 and the inner Wall of the Thesek auxiliary air passages 19 serve to insulate the ducts 16 from the combustion Vchamber12 and therefore prevent too rapidpassage of heat through the-Wallsgto the fluid cooling medium in the ducts 16. If necessary, the walls of the auxilary ducts could, of course, be lined with a suitable insulating material such as vitreous enamel as indicated kat 20.,V a Y Y With the construction hereinbefore described, the combustion of the explosive mixturelin vthe vicinity of the spark plug is accelerated, and at the same time the too rapid loss of heat from the combustionchamber 12 is prevented or checked, and consequently'the most eiiicient operation of the engine is obtained. It should be understood that for the purpose" of illustration I have shown` a. single vcylinder engine only, but the invention is equally applicableto an engine having any number of cylinders. Y

A preferred embodiment of my invention has been illustrated and described'for the purpose of showing one or more ways in which the invention may be practised, but the inventive ideaV upon imposed by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an internal combustion engine having a cylinder, a spark plug for igniting an explosive mixture in the cylinder, means for circulating a liquid cooling medium around the cylinder to absorb and carry away the heat of combustion from the cylinder, and means interposed between the cooling medium and the cylinder Wall adjacent. the spark plug for preventing too rapid passage of heat fromthe cylinder tothe cooling medium.

2. In an internal combustion engine having a combustion chamber and a spark plug for eifecting the e combustion of the explosive mixture therein, means inthe combustion chamber for accelerating the burning of the explosive mixture therein, means in the combustion chamber for accelerating the burning of that part of the explosive mixture first ignited, and means'for parlt'ially insulating that portionof the combustion chamber exposed to the heat of combustion of that part vof the explosive mixture rst ignited to cause it to retain suicient heat for efficient:

operation. v j Y A4. Thecombination with an internal Vcombustion'engine having a combustion' chamber, ducts in the Wall surrounding said chamber for the circulation of a' fluid coolingy medium and a spark plug'for effecting the combustion'of theexplosive mixture in'` said chamber, v of insulating means interposedl between the cooling fluid in said ducts and the combustion' chamber'in the vicinity of said spark plug to prevent too rapid passage ofthe heat of combustion from'thecombustion chamberto the cooling fluid.

CLARKE C. MINTER. 

